A frequently made claim in the scientific literature is that protein domains can be readily recombined to form novel folds. In Darwin's Doubt, Stephen Meyer addresses this subject in detail (see Chapter 11). Over the course of this and a subsequent article, I want to briefly expand on what was said there. … [Read more...]
Evaluation of Darwin’s Doubt by Stephen C. Meyer, Part I
Because of the length and depth of Dr. Stephen C. Meyer's new book, Darwin's Doubt:The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design, I've decided to spread my review out over multiple posts. In this series, I will not offer a comprehensive summary of the book; many have already done so. Rather, I will highlight some of the key arguments and offer personal … [Read more...]
Is intelligent design science?
Why is it that Christian apologists have to deal with this topic so often? It seems that whenever I'm in discussion over just about ANY apologetics related topic, I'll typically be challenged by someone over the topic of I.D. as a kind of 'gotcha' move. You see, (insert sarcasm) I must not be rational... after all, I (as a Christian) must believe the whole Intelligent Design … [Read more...]
The Remarkable Design of the Eukaryotic Cell Cycle
Have you ever wondered how the eukaryotic cell knows when to transition from one phase of its cycle to the next? How does the cell know to begin DNA replication (S phase) or mitosis (M phase), or to enter the two "gap phases" (G1 and G2) that separate them? How are previous phases halted and new phases initiated? What quality-control measures are in place to minimize … [Read more...]
ATP Synthase, an Energy-Generating Rotary Motor Engine
Discovery Institute recently released a stunning animation (different from the one above) of the mechanics of ATP synthase, a biomechanical power generator found almost ubiquitously across life. The video above offers another glimpse of the engineering prowess of this amazing molecular machine. There exists three main types of membrane-embedded ATPases: F-type, V-type and … [Read more...]
Grayling's New Book Is Hampered by an Embarrassment of Errors
Atheist philosopher A.C. Grayling, whose debate with Peter S. Williams I wrote about yesterday, recently published a new book, The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism. I was particularly interested in reading Chapter 11, which is devoted to the subject of creationism and intelligent design. The chapter contains so many errors and is so poorly researched … [Read more...]
British Atheist Philosopher A.C. Grayling Is Confused About Intelligent Design
The video above features a short excerpt from a debate between well-known atheist philosopher A.C. Grayling (famous for conveniently "forgetting" having debated William Lane Craig) and Christian philosopher Peter S. Williams. Their subject: the fine-tuning of the universe's initial conditions to support complex life, bearing on the case for intelligent design. Williams … [Read more...]
Bacterial Cell Division and Peptidoglycan Synthesis: An Evolutionary Enigma
The video above shows the process by which bacterial cells reproduce themselves. Looks simple, doesn't it? It's only a colony of cells elongating before splitting in two. Don't be fooled -- appearances can be deceiving. As is so common throughout biology, the apparent simplicity at the macro level masks remarkable complexity at the micro or molecular level. In eukaryotes, cell … [Read more...]
Two of the World's Leading Experts on Bacterial Flagellar Assembly Take on Michael Behe
I've been reading the recently published book Microbes and Evolution: The World that Darwin Never Saw, which combines my two primary areas of interest: microbiology and evolution. Chapter 38 of the book is written by Kelly Hughes and David Blair of the University of Utah, two of the world's leading experts on bacterial flagellar assembly. Having followed the work of Kelly … [Read more...]
Unwinding the Double Helix: Meet DNA Helicase
In previous articles (see here and here), I've been reviewing the molecular nano-machinery needed for the replication of DNA. Before DNA polymerase is able to synthesize the new complementary strands, it needs to be given access to the nucleotides of the single-stranded template DNA. The internal base pairing in the double helix must therefore be broken and the helix unwound. … [Read more...]